北京现代音乐节

2025-06-02 13:57

Let the World Listen to China

A Record of the 2025 Beijing Modern Music Festival

The grand event concludes with triumphant music, its lingering melodies shaking the azure sky. Tides of culture surge from all directions, and rhythms connect across the four seas. On May 20th, the six-day 2025 Beijing Modern Music Festival (BMMF) successfully concluded. As one of the most influential avant-garde music events, under the leadership of Artistic Director Professor Ye Xiaogang, the festival brought together over a hundred musicians from around the globe. Through 11 concerts, 1 symposium, and 3 lecture-masterclasses, it showcased the vibrant vitality of Chinese modern music, built a bridge for dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations, redefined the boundaries of modern music, and became a focal point of the global music scene.

Symphonic Grandeur: Chinese Vocabulary Resonates with Global Power

In the surging tide of global music and cultural fusion, Chinese music is sounding a powerful note on the world stage with its aspiring posture and resonant charm. Within the ocean of multiculturalism, the Beijing Modern Music Festival has built a broad and solid stage for dialogue between Chinese music and the world, allowing the world to hear the unique melodies and profound philosophical thoughts from the East.

The festival opened with a special concert of Ye Xiaogang's works. The BMMF has a tradition of holding special concerts for outstanding composers, having previously featured composers like Guan Xia and Qin Wenchen. The return of Ye Xiaogang's special concert also symbolized the re-embarkation on a musical journey that honors tradition while looking to the future. In the increasingly integrated global music landscape, Ye Xiaogang's works are powerfully sweeping stages in many countries, playing a contemporary movement that transcends regions and cultures, becoming a highly recognizable Eastern symbol in the international music scene. This leading figure in contemporary Chinese music, together with the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra, showcased the diversity of his artistic style, extraordinary musical creativity, and the profound heritage and innovative vitality of Chinese symphonic music through the natural spirit of "Five-Colored Loquat," the classic rejuvenation of "The Jade Goddess of Mercy," the era's ode in "Beautiful Countryside," and the poetic soul of "Du Fu's Thatched Cottage." The concert of contemporary Chinese symphonic works brought together the artistic explorations and spiritual inheritance of several generations of composers from the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM). From Ye Xiaogang, representing the "mythical" class of '77/'78 composers, to Hao Weiya, who further propelled the "avant-garde" shift in Chinese music, and then to Yao Chen, Xu Zhitong, Zou Hang, and Zhang Shuai – outstanding composers active on the international stage in recent years – they collectively presented a musical feast rooted in Chinese culture and possessing an international perspective, outlining the epitome of over forty years of development in contemporary Chinese music. The closing concert featured the Harbin Symphony Orchestra, a musical powerhouse from the "Ice City," conducted by Wu Huaishi, performing masterpieces such as Zhou Xianglin's "Summit of Shanghai" and Guo Wenjing's "Dunhuang," integrating Chinese composers' philosophical reflections on landscapes, history, and the future into musical notes. Notably, the closing concert featured an international dialogue segment, where "The Run of the Rogue River" by David Serkin Ludwig, President of The Juilliard School, and "unto Osiris" by Matthias Pintscher, head of Juilliard's composition department, were performed alongside works by Chinese composers, interpreting the profound connotation of a community with a shared future for mankind through music.

From traditional classics to avant-garde explorations, from deep cultivation of Chinese culture to the expansion of international horizons, the Beijing Modern Music Festival uses music as a bridge, allowing the brilliant radiance of contemporary Chinese music to shine on the world stage. It is not only a concentrated display of the artistic explorations of Chinese musicians but also a vivid testament to the mutual integration and common development of Chinese and world music, sounding the era's strong voice of Chinese music going global and embracing the world, writing a magnificent chapter of harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures.

Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra

Harbin Symphony Orchestra

Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra

International Splendor: A Symphony of Diverse Civilizations in Harmony

Top orchestras from five continents, connected by music, performed the diversity of global music. Several cross-border musical extravaganzas, with unparalleled artistic inclusiveness, composed a magnificent chapter of global civilizational symphony.

Austria's Klangforum Wien, with its lineup of musicians from 24 countries, continuously explores new artistic territories. With exquisite control over timbre and a profound synergy among its members, the ensemble masterfully rendered the intricate acoustic structures and flowing rhythms conceived by composers. Their technical precision, imbued with artistic spirituality, not only reflected the grand aesthetic patterns of contemporary music through the deconstruction and reconstruction of notes but also conveyed deep humanistic philosophy through sonic vibrations, perfectly interpreting the dialectical unity of technical rationality and humanistic spirit in modern music creation. Poland's Kwartludium Ensemble focused on the innovative practices of global composers, showcasing cutting-edge achievements in contemporary music. Through their profound exploration of acoustic dimensions and thorough artistic understanding, they opened up a "perceptual archaeology" within the discourse of contemporary music for the audience. With subtle interpretative skills, they peeled back the inner texture of each work layer by layer, transforming the sonic medium beyond a mere aesthetic object into a speculative medium bridging spiritual realms and real dimensions, its artistic radiance continuing to resonate in auditory memory across time and space. Japan's Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Contemporary Hogaku Ensemble, blending shakuhachi, koto, and erhu, demonstrated contemporary expressions of traditional Chinese and Japanese instruments. Since ancient times, the clear sounds of Chinese music brought by Jianzhen on his eastward journey and the elegant court music brought back by Japanese envoys to Tang China sowed seeds of artistic connection in the cultural DNA of both nations. Today, Chinese and Japanese musicians, using strings as their brush and rhythms as their ink, are jointly painting a new scroll of mutual civilizational learning. The ensemble, drawing on the strengths of both Chinese and Western music, continues to write a new chapter of Sino-Japanese cultural friendship in the new era, allowing the ancient wisdom of "making friends through music" to blossom with even more splendid civilizational flowers. The Ulysses Quartet from the USA made its debut at the Beijing Modern Music Festival and its first performance in the Chinese capital, continuously leading the innovative trend of contemporary chamber music with its richly layered tonal tension and profound, solemn aesthetic expression. Their interpretations maintained an accurate grasp of the historical dimension of the works while endowing traditional symbols with contemporary spiritual contemplation, enabling different cultural genes to achieve symbiotic prosperity through sonic reconstruction. Northern Ireland's Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble interpreted the infinite possibilities of avant-garde music with a world premiere. Eternal themes of Eastern and Western mythology transcended spatio-temporal constraints, achieving an aesthetic dialogue within the precise structure of fugal counterpoint. Using notes as ink, they depicted heroic legends of Chinese youth while allowing the epic charm of European mythology to resonate in the melodies.

Austria's Klangforum Wien

Japan's Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Contemporary Hogaku Ensemble

Meanwhile, during the festival, lectures by the Polish, American, and Northern Irish ensembles were packed, becoming vivid footnotes to cultural mutual learning. Live performances and work examples were exquisitely interwoven, deeply exploring composers' creative intentions, analyzing the personal experiences and background factors behind their perspectives, as technical rationality and artistic soul collided in a journey of exploration.

At this point, the Beijing Modern Music Festival has already transcended the scope of an artistic showcase to become a living site of civilizational mutual learning. Here, there are no barriers of cultural estrangement, only the collision and rebirth of different civilizational genes. With an open and inclusive heart, the Beijing Modern Music Festival proves to the world: when diverse civilizations illuminate each other through artistic innovation, humanity will ultimately compose a symphony of destiny that transcends national borders.

Ulysses Quartet (USA)

Kwartludium Ensemble (Poland)

Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble (Northern Ireland)

Youthful Brilliance: New Generation Shows Its Prowess

In the surging tide of contemporary music development, the Beijing Modern Music Festival, with its diverse and inclusive stance and cutting-edge innovative concepts, has built a broad stage for communication and display for global musicians. Young Chinese composers, like the morning sun bursting forth at dawn, are revealing their sharp talents with unstoppable momentum, sounding the stirring clarion call for the festival's innovative development and adding unique youthful vitality and infinite possibilities.

The De Yue Chamber Orchestra of Traditional Instruments from the Xi'an Conservatory of Music, featuring nine works by nine young talents, performed contemporary vocabulary with traditional instruments, showcasing the innovative vitality of Chinese traditional music. Their inheritance and understanding of traditional cultural essence are by no means superficial; rather, they represent a profound insight that penetrates to the core and is thoroughly integrated, demonstrating wisdom and philosophical thinking that transcends their age. Simultaneously, their unique contemporary musical language and avant-garde expression methods allow it to radiate unprecedented vitality and charm in the modern music context. The Chamber Ensemble from the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), with creations led by faculty members such as Chan Wing-wah and Gao Ping, presented achievements in internationalized music education, its rigorous academic foundation perfectly resonating with the avant-garde experimental spirit of the Beijing Modern Music Festival in contemporary music. The AIR Modern Music Ensemble, with its pioneering experimental spirit, broke through the boundaries of traditional Chinese music, reshaping traditional aesthetics through the interwoven resonance of electronic sound effects, improvisational techniques, and visual imagery, highlighting the young generation's deep exploration of the modernization of national music.

Meanwhile, the Young Chinese Composers Exchange Symposium, with its open and inclusive attitude, successfully broke down the inherent barriers in the academic field, building a bridge for interdisciplinary communication. In this grand gathering of wisdom and inspiration, participants focused on new development trends in the music industry. Artificial intelligence, as a pioneering force in current technological development, is changing the ecological landscape of various industries at an unprecedented speed, and the field of music creation is no exception. Young composers have keenly perceived this trend and are actively thinking about how to use the powerful functions of artificial intelligence to open up new paths and possibilities for music creation. They not only focus on the application of AI in technical aspects such as music generation and arrangement assistance but also delve into how it affects the thinking methods, aesthetic orientations, and artistic expression of music creation. Furthermore, the symposium also discussed the stylistic requirements and new missions for composers' musical creations in the new era. In the current context of cultural diversity and rapid technological development, music creation faces unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Young composers bear the dual mission of inheriting excellent musical traditions and innovating musical expression forms. They need to adhere to the essence of musical art while keeping pace with the times, creating musical works that have both profound cultural heritage and meet contemporary aesthetic needs. This symposium prompted music creation to no longer be confined to the traditional academic ivory tower but to actively move into the public eye and resonate with the times. By promoting the close integration of music creation and public demand, it has injected vibrant new sounds of the era into the development of modern music and contributed the wisdom and strength of young Chinese composers to the exchange and development of global music culture.

The Beijing Modern Music Festival has undoubtedly become an ideal palace for young composers to showcase their talents and pursue their musical dreams, and it also witnesses the continuous advancement of China's music cause to new heights under the impetus of the younger generation.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) School of Music Chamber Ensemble

Xi'an Conservatory of Music "De Yue" Chamber Orchestra of Traditional Instruments

AIR Modern Music Ensemble

This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the Beijing Modern Music Festival. The festival has matured through exploration and developed into the most influential modern music and cultural event in China, while also ranking among the world's most watched modern music festivals. It continuously promotes the development of modern music art with innovative concepts, contributing to the inheritance of national culture and the creation of modern civilization.

Born for dreams and walking with the times, the Beijing Modern Music Festival will continue to uphold the concepts of openness, innovation, and diversity, constantly explore the boundaries of musical art, and present more exciting performances to the audience. It will promote the development of China's modern music cause with firm belief and unremitting efforts, allowing more high-quality Chinese works to reach the world. It will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the international music community, introduce more outstanding musical works and artists, and promote the prosperity and development of modern music. With new concepts and new methods, it will strive to contribute to a newer, more powerful, and broader direction for modern music development.

The Beijing Modern Music Festival, a musical revolution transcending stylistic barriers, is not only a panoramic display of global musical diversity but also weaves a picture of a cultural community that transcends language, borders, and ethnicity through the bond of artistic innovation, becoming a vivid footnote to mutual civilizational learning. When we meet again next year, it will surely be an even more shocking creative storm, an even more ardent artistic nirvana.